Murder of rising cycling star

[altasnob]

Edit: she was deported from CR based on passport fraud, not extradited. Meaning, she's eligible for death penalty.

Cite for this? The whole point of CR not extraditing if the person faces the death penalty is because CR (like a lot of US states) thinks the death penalty is barbaric. Letting Texas get around that policy with legal tricks doesn't make a lot of sense.

[xyz]

And she pleads not guilty: https://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/...ilty-in-court/

This trial should be interesting. I guess if you're facing life if you plead guilty you might as well take your chances and fight it.

[Dantheman]

Temporary insanity defense, maybe.

[xyz]

Cite for this? The whole point of CR not extraditing if the person faces the death penalty is because CR (like a lot of US states) thinks the death penalty is barbaric. Letting Texas get around that policy with legal tricks doesn't make a lot of sense.

I wouldn't know if any deals were made between US Feds and CR authorities to keep her eligible for death penalty, but she was sent back on deported status, not extradited.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Can't someone waste time fighting extradition? Deported is "Get The Fuck Out!, Now!"

[xyz]

Temporary insanity defense, maybe.

This gives some hints to her defense: http://https://www.fox7austin.com/ne...-suspect-court

[SumJongGuy]

I bet she'll try to blame others. It's clear she had help with this at the least.. Help getting a gun in the first place.. help evading arrest, etc.. Wouldn't surprise me to see her claim that the dude took her car and the gun and did it to frame her. Hell, maybe he did.

[altasnob]

I wouldn't know if any deals were made between US Feds and CR authorities to keep her eligible for death penalty, but she was sent back on deported status, not extradited.

Oh, that makes sense. Deported means she entered CR illegally or overstayed her visa. So CR was not going to go to bat for her since she was there illegally.

Had she been extradited, CR would have to make an agreement with Texas (not US Feds) since this is a state prosecution. And CR wouldn't extradite unless Texas agreed not to try to kill her. But since she was deported, CR could care less.

Everyone pleads not guilty at arraignment. It's meaningless. Of the thousands of people charged with murder in the US I bet not a single one plead guilty right off the bat. Texas will threaten to kill her if she takes it to trial, and use this leverage to get her to plea where she will do 30ish years.

[xyz]

I bet she'll try to blame others. It's clear she had help with this at the least.. Help getting a gun in the first place.. help evading arrest, etc.. Wouldn't surprise me to see her claim that the dude took her car and the gun and did it to frame her. Hell, maybe he did.

Her lawyer mentions there was a tip called in about her 'former boyfriend' that the Austin police ignored, someone vandalized Colins house the night of the murder and the media reported misleading information.

I could see Colin getting dragged in for sure and her sister must be getting some heat for supplying the passport.

Anyway, if she was innocent, fleeing the country, fake names and plastic surgery is obviously a bad look on her defense

[beaterdit]

Her lawyer mentions there was a tip called in about her 'former boyfriend' that the Austin police ignored, someone vandalized Colins house the night of the murder and the media reported misleading information.

I could see Colin getting dragged in for sure and her sister must be getting some heat for supplying the passport.

Anyway, if she was innocent, fleeing the country, fake names and plastic surgery is obviously a bad look on her defense.

That's the red flag right there. Says guilty to me. Why do all that if you're innocent. She may be a sociopath but I don't think she's dumb. She would have to know how all that would make her look. Her attorney isn't dumb either, looks like the strategy is to muddy the waters so much no one will know what the hell happened.

[SumJongGuy]

Oh she's 99.99999% likely guilty of it. They're drilling in to the one fact that nobody saw HER do it... only her truck and her gun. Behavior after the fact is what the lawyers will pound as "circumstantial".. and it's entirely circumstantial.

[east or bust]

Any hopes Colin may have had about skating around this whole debacle were crushed when they found her. That was his worst nightmare.

No way he doesn’t get pulled in especially if he bought her the gun.


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[billyk]

Collin might have some issues over the gun, but not murder issues. The cops traced his movements, and have cleared him on that front. And as far as the gun goes, yes she had a misdemeanor warrant out on her, but she hadn’t been convicted of a felony at that point, so not sure what law he broke by buying the gun.

Also, you guys keep going on about the death penalty. She has been charged with first degree murder, not capital murder. Clearly, this is not a capital murder case, and the prosecutor knows that. This is just another one of the approximately 1500-2000 or so ordinary murders that happen each year in Texas, typically spouse on spouse, etc. The max you get for murder 1 is life. The capital murder bucket is much smaller. And the number of death penalty convictions arising from that are tiny, around 10 or so per year. Rest assured THOSE guys did some truly heinous things, like multiple murders, killing a cop, etc. No one is going to waste a death penalty on this.

[Dantheman]

That's the red flag right there. Says guilty to me. Why do all that if you're innocent. She may be a sociopath but I don't think she's dumb. She would have to know how all that would make her look. Her attorney isn't dumb either, looks like the strategy is to muddy the waters so much no one will know what the hell happened.

I'm not suggesting she didn't do it, because she almost certainly did. But, given the realities of the justice system, if someone ended up dead and it looked really bad for you despite being innocent, freaking out and trying to run isn't an entirely unreasonable reaction.

[bennymac]

And her sister’s lawyer will say that the sister didn’t realize her passport was stolen.

She’ll feel the heat - and definitely should if she aided her or knew of her whereabouts and plans - but the passport issue seems easy to deflect.

[Dee Hubbs]

Why is nobody talking about the $450,000 Colin gave her?

“As of May 19th, Strickland had given Armstrong approximately $450,000 to be invested into an investment account which she had sole access to. Armstrong has still not transferred any of the funds back to Strickland as he requested her to do”

[bennymac]

Why is nobody talking about the $450,000 Colin gave her?

“As of May 19th, Strickland had given Armstrong approximately $450,000 to be invested into an investment account which she had sole access to. Armstrong has still not transferred any of the funds back to Strickland as he requested her to do”

WTF Why the hell would he do that

[Danno]

WTF Why the hell would he do that

Nobody's talking about it.

[xyz]

Why is nobody talking about the $450,000 Colin gave her?

“As of May 19th, Strickland had given Armstrong approximately $450,000 to be invested into an investment account which she had sole access to. Armstrong has still not transferred any of the funds back to Strickland as he requested her to do”

The timing of the transfer is unclear to me. What is it before or after the murder?

I wonder if she's using Colin's 450k to pay for her defense

[billyk]

WTF Why the hell would he do that

She was flipping houses in the hot Austin market and making healthy profits. He wanted to get in on that, I’m guessing. Yeah, dumb decision to trust her, but looks like he’s made several other questionable decisions in his life.

[HankScorpio]

Why is nobody talking about the $450,000 Colin gave her?

“As of May 19th, Strickland had given Armstrong approximately $450,000 to be invested into an investment account which she had sole access to. Armstrong has still not transferred any of the funds back to Strickland as he requested her to do”

Shit, that makes things a bit more interesting.


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[beaterdit]

I'm not suggesting she didn't do it, because she almost certainly did. But, given the realities of the justice system, if someone ended up dead and it looked really bad for you despite being innocent, freaking out and trying to run isn't an entirely unreasonable reaction.

Yeah I agree 99% likely guilty and also the freakout/ fight or flight reaction. Hers was way too organised and planned out though. She followed many steps systematically. Still says guilty and sociopath. I don't think anyone would go so far as to get plastic surgery if they're innocent. The one caveat to me is if Colin did it and she's protecting him, that didn't happen though.

[SumJongGuy]

Colin's vested interest goes up significantly if she was pregnant.. Haven't heard anything to that regard, but what IF?? That adds up a lot more than just a play date at the public pool..... if she told him about it while they met there..

[Dee Hubbs]

Armstrong was already dating an American ExPat in Costa Rica.
His quote was "She always wanted to go on dates in secluded places, explaining that she just got out of a complicated breakup”
American dude in CR dodged a bullet on that one....

[singlesline]

How did a semi-pro gravel cyclist who previously "worked in conservation" have $450k to give to his girlfriend to put in an investment account?

That's above average net worth for a 35 year old and I assume fixed gear and gravel racers aren't exactly rolling in sponsors who want to give them straight cash.